Blanching device for food processing apparatus



Aug. 1, 1950 -J. F.PLUMMER, JR 2,517,235

BLANCHING DEVICE FOR FOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed July 8, 1947INVENTOR Bg OI-IN F- PLUM MER,JR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 1, 1950 BLANGHING DEVICEMEOR E ODZ -IR'OCESSIN G APPARATUSThis invention relates to food proeessiriganparatus, and"more-'particularlyto a blanching 'de vicerfor apparatus of thattype;

One object of the invention is to enable the blanching medium to bebrought into 'intimate contact with all of the particles. of amed-charge.

A. more specific ObjCtHiS to eifectthe removal b of air "from theblanchingchamber preparatory totthe beginning of: a blanching period;

Other objects will' bein part obviousyand intpant pointed outhereinafter.

The figure in"the accompanyingrdrawing'is a diagrammatic View of ablanching device moon?- structed inaccordance "with 'the practice of theinvention andv a; portion of a food pro cessingapparatus to-Which it isappliedl Referring more particularly'ito the drawing;

the inventionuis shown applieda to akfocdispmcessr ing apparatus of thetype disclosed in United States Patent- 'N0.m.2; l07482 to *FLZ'B.tDoyleyfSeptember 10; 1946, and wvhichminciu'des a m casing -20 having atransverse Wall; 2 I?toudivide':the:interiorthereof into'ablanchingchamberv22xand azfree'z x ing qchamberi 233011131; a;:.portion10f :"thel' latterzzbeing; shown." y

The wall 2 6 cha s: anropening 24 throughxithich? the: food, isdischargedzfromnthe :blanchingazchama ber into a: the freezing chamber;and: at the upper end of the casing isian inletopening :25 for 1 theintroduction;of;=foodxmaterialr into rtherblanching chamber. Closuresare I provided for: :-.the open ings' 2 land 2 5, respectively; inath-eform on a; valve and a plate fill that care-1attachedj'pivotallyatomlevers 28 which rock non-pins 29: supportedrby rthe casing-20.

The valve 26 and the cover:H'iarera ctuatednby reciprocatory motors30connected to the levers 28, and the flow of pressure fluid to and fromthe motors is controlled, in part,;.by valve mechanisms 3| to whichpressure. fluid is conveyed y. for-distribution to the motors 30 by asupply conduit 32. The valve elements 33 of the mechanisms 31' arespring actuated-tonne limiting position and to the otherllimitingposition by pressure fluid to =cause: operationnofhthe valve 2-and the:cover rz'lsiinrthe correct sequence and in correctlyttimedirelation withthevbeginning and endingiof a blanching period.

The means shown for thus controlling the movements of the valve 26 andthe cover 21 con sists of a time cycle controller '34 of the type disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,272,237 to W. J. Brown et al. andwhich, described briefly herein, comprises a rotary drum 35 foractuating a series of relay valves 33, 31, 38, 39 and 48. These valvemechanisms lie along the side of the drum-within: reach :of the-usualstopswl l carried by the drum-"for actuating "their valve relem'eritshTl ie stops 4 I are adjustable :peripherallyrofzthe dr um @35 to effecta" desired ropening and "closingor 1 the valve elements of: the i valvetrmechanisms 36 to 40 and' may be ofssuchinumbers as to -cause therepeated operationirof the valve mechanisms sate 40 "during a complete.cycle orrota'tion ofthe drum; if re'quiredx 'Therdrum 35;isdriven bytamotor 42 itouvhichrelectric current is conveyed by wires il 3 leading;from'acmainz ld In the arrangementishownnthe valve mecha nism' 36controls :the'. admis'sicnrof 1 pressure" fluid to the' pairofvalvetmechanisms :31:- controlling the movements of the'xplat :2lgandcthewvalver mech-i anism. i3? performs a icsimilar function 1 forthe valve im'echanism 3 I rassociated with the motor 30? ofzzrthe :valve11.26.: i The 'i'adniission rand "cut-offi of :blanchingimediumysteamfor-example, to and: f1'0m"1il7h blanching chamber: is controlledrby thevalve I mechanism 038 which FlSf rconnected, by ra con'duitixt figrviithzav-alve mechanism 4 B inia conduit 41 leading from a sources-ofsteain (not shcwn) The"walvetmechanismdfi indicated as being ofxftheywellxknowncdiaphragm type comprising a casing ifiian'daa Valveielement49 having a stem:

50: which-may beponnected; int-any: suitable; man-b ner,; tto :a y:flexible diaphragm 5lagainst which thespressure fluid 1 acts forrrunseating the -valve element 49.

:In order to cause: the: re-circulat-ion lot :the steamrsupplied zto-.the blanching; chamber; the:

steamm flOWiIig: fromv-the conduit 41 is directedthrougha jet161861301'152 the nozzle :53 of i whichconstitutesi the:outlet'ienclofthe: conduitutl. The ejectorc52 rcommunicates with: theupper portion of the blanching chamber 122 through a port t4 and its'ssucltiom chamber "5 5 communicates with; the: lowerwportion; offitheblanching chamber through :a :COnduit5 56iSQbtihat steam issuing fromtheejector iwill sweepathrough the entire: length of itheeblanchingchamber and pass througlr the conduitei'xs item the; ejector ito beagain introduced into theblanehing chambers To thewend that therairadmitted iIIl OAthB blanchingtjcham'ber:during ether charging thereof tinto and from said conduit is controlled by the valve mechanism 39 ofthe time cycle controller.

The remaining valve mechanism 40 controls the supply of pressure fluidfor a diaphragm valve 65 interposed in a conduit 66 leading from thelower portion of the blanching chamber to a suitable evacuator (notshown) serving to evacuate the blanching chamber 22 after each blanchingperiod to pre-cool the food material before discharging it into thefreezing chamber 23. The valve element of the diaphragm valve 65 alsonormally occupies a closed position and is unseated by pressure fluidconveyed thereto by a conduit 61 leading fromthe-valve mechanism 40,such pressure fluid being valved into and from the conduit 6! insuitably timed relation with the ending of a blanching period.

In the operation of the device, let it be assumed that the drum 35 is inmotion and that the motors 30 and the elements controlling them,including the valve mechanisms 36-31, are in the positions required forholding the valve 26 and the cover 21 in the closed positions. A stop 4|will then actuate the valve mechanism 38to valve pressure fluid to thediaphragm valve 46 for unseating its valve element. Thereupon,

steam will flow through the ejector 52 into the I blanching chamber andexpel the air through the conduits 56--5'l and the discharge port 62 tothe atmosphere. When the steam reaches the thermostat 60 the latter willbe extended and move the valve 6| into position to cut-off communicationbetween the blanching chamber and the atmosphere.

Immediately after the valve 6| has been closed a stop 4| shifts thevalve mechanism 39 and pressure fluid will flow to the diaphragm valve63 and unseat it. The conduit 56 will then be open and steam will flowfrom the lower end of the blanching chamber through the conduit 56 totheejector and again pass therethrough into the blanching chamber. isre-circulated through the batch of food material and at the ending of ablanching period,

and which is determined by the angle through which the drum 35 rotates,a stop 4| will again shift the valve element of the mechanism 38 In thisway the steam valve pressure fluid to the valve mechanism 65 for openingthe conduit to connect the blanching chamber with an evacuator forpre-coollng the food charge before it passes to the freezing chamber 23.

As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description, by thusforcing the air from the blanching chamber at the beginning of ablanching period and re-circulating the steam,

the steam will have free access to all portions of the blanching chamberand will be brought quickly into intimate contact with all the surfacesof the food particles and the step of blanching may, therefore, becarried out with a minimum consumption of steam. A further highlydesirable advantage of the invention is that any elements of nutritivevalue that may become separated from the food particles and entrained inthe steam and such small amounts of condensate as may form within theblanching chamber will again be sprayed over the food charge to passtherewith to the freezing chamber.

I claim:

1. In a blanching device for food processing apparatus, a casing havinga blanching chamber, means for supplying blanching medium to thechamber, means for causing the re-circulation of blanching medium in theblanching chamber,

means for venting the blanching chamber to the atmosphere at thebeginning of a blanching period, and means acting in timed relation withthe beginning of flow of blanching medium into the blanching chamber toprevent the recircula- Cit tion of blanching medium for a predeterminedperiod of time to permit the expulsion of air from said chamber throughthe venting means to the atmosphere.

2. In a blanching device for food processing apparatus, a casing havinga blanching chamber, a jet ejector for introducing blanching medium intothe blanching chamber, a conduit affording communication between theblanching chamber and the suction side of the ejector to permit thewithdrawal of blanching medium from the blanching chamber and itsIE-ll'ltIOd'llCtiOIl into the stream flowing through the jet ejectorinto the blanching chamber, means defining a passage for venting theblanching chamber to the atmosphere, thermo-responsive means forcontrolling the passage, a valve for controlling the conduit, and meansfor causing movement of said valve to its open position in timedrelation with the beginning of flow of blanching medium into theblanching chamber.

JOHN F. PLUMMER, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 914,302 Nenninger Mar. 2, 19091,437,840 Grondal Dec. 5, 1922 1,668,591 I-Ioyt May 8, 1928

